


Mistakes

by Current521



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Sequel but to my own work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:07:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23532067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: Ted hears singing, and immediately thinks about his kids
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Comments: 43
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [No Longer A Mistake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23248441) by [Current521](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521). 



> Sequel to No Longer A Mistake, this will probably not make sense if you haven't read that

It isn't the singing itself that scares him. It's the implications. The fact that there is no escape.

He calls Tanya first, when they realise what's happening, half whispering in the trash can. "Where are you? Where's Emmanuel? Sandra?"

"We're in Clyvesdale with Liv, all week." She sounds confused, maybe even concerned. "Are you okay, what's up?"

"Something's going on, I know it sounds crazy, just… Keep an eye on the news, stay indoors, don't come back to Hatchetfield. Can I talk to Emmanuel for a moment?"

"Sure."

Some noise as Tanya hands over the phone, then, "Hi dad!" Emmanuel's voice is bright and cheerful.

Ted breathes a sigh of relief. "Hey kid. I just wanted to talk to you for a second. I need to go, but I love you, okay? You and Sandra."

"I love you too dad." Emmanuel clicks his tongue. "Do you wanna talk to Sandra?"

"No, it's okay." Ted smiles a little, in spite of himself; Sandra is only a few months old, can't talk yet, but Emmanuel insists on putting her on call whenever possible. "I'll see you soon, okay? I love you."

"Okay."

Tanya takes the phone back before he can hang up. "Ted, what's happening?"

"I don't know yet, just… Take care of the kids, alright? Don't… Don't let them forget me. I love you."

"I love you too, Ted, you've never said that, what is going on?"

"Nothing, I gotta go, bye." He hangs up and sighs deeply. At least the kids are safe, even if he isn't.

Paul shows up after a bit, with someone else. Ted is vaguely aware of having seen her before, but he doesn't know her. "We don't know who we can trust." It's true; he's already mildly suspicious of Bill and Paul, but he needs friends. "Paul, get in a trashcan. You—" He points at the girl. "Beat it."

"Uh, fuck you?" She flips him off, and it's fair enough.

It looks like Paul is about to explain, but he's interrupted by the sound of sirens. Police.

"I called Sam," Charlotte whispers to him. "I figured it might not be a bad idea to have him help us, we don't know what's going on."

"Yeah." Ted takes her hand. "We'll be fine."

Sam and two other cops show up, and for the first time ever, Ted is glad to see him. Until he starts singing.

Ted doesn't allow himself to relax until they get to the professor's. Then he does relax; he gets himself and Charlotte a drink and pulls her to a couch to sit down. "You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah." He takes a swig directly from the bottle. "Perfectly fine."

"You're lying." She takes his hand and squeezes it.

"Yeah, the world is coming to an end and I'm stuck in Hatchetfield. At least I'm with you. At least Tanya and the kids are safe, or I wouldn't be here. It's some kind of comfort." He takes another swig and leans his head against her shoulder. "I wish we didn't have to deal with this."

"Me too." She rests her head against his. "I love you."

"I love you too." He wraps an arm around her.

"Sam is dead." She fidgets with her ring, the one he's given her; a nervous habit from long before he met her. "Sam is dead, and I don't know how to feel about it." Ted stays quiet, so after a moment of fidgeting, she keeps talking. "I mean, I'm sad, I'm horrified, I'm… That's normal, right?"

"I think so." He has nothing good to say, so he doesn't say anything.

"Yeah." She kisses the back of his hand. "But I'm not as sad as I maybe should be. I know it's been almost a year and I haven't thought of him as much lately, but… I loved him for a long time after he left me. I still think I love him, sometimes. I should be devastated."

"Look, Charlotte…" Ted pulls her close. "I know you loved him, of course you did. And probably some part of you still does, that makes sense, it's… Whatever. My point is… He's just a person to you now. Of course you're horrified, anyone would be, but it's not personal. I feel bad about it, but I'm not upset. It's fine."

"Yeah." She sighs. "Yeah."

"I love you." Ted kisses her. "We'll get out of here, I promise." It's an empty promise, but he needs to say it.

"I love you too."

They sit in silence together for far too long, watching their colleagues and friends talk.

Bill gets a call and talks to his daughter for a while. Ted tunes him out because he knows exactly what's going through Bill's head, and he has no desire to relive it.

"Get me some bread and some water, I knew we were gonna need a designated driver!" Bill rushes over to the bar looking for water. "I need to go get Alice, she's stuck in Hatchetfield High, she's locked herself in the choir room."

"And you're gonna save her?" Ted frees himself from Charlotte and gets up to walk over to Bill. "GI Bill? What's your plan? Face it, she's already dead."

"Ted, I—"

"You're gonna get there." Ted puts his hands on Bill's shoulders. "And she's gonna be dead, and you're gonna die too. Is that what you want?" He stares at him. "I know, I know, trust me, there is nothing I want more than to rush out of here and go find my kids. But those singing zombie motherfuckers are gonna kill me before I get anywhere near them, and I'm no use to anyone dead, least of all them. Alice needs you alive. You cannot just rush out there, you're gonna die."

"She's all I have, Ted." Bill frees himself. "I have to try, and if I can't save her, well, at least I'll die trying. Unlike you. What happens when your son walks in here singing?"

Ted, already drunk and fraught, snaps and slaps Bill. "Don't you dare talk about my son! Don't you dare assume you're a better parent than me!" He yells and stalks after Bill who is backing up, but he restricts himself from being violent. "I would die for my kids, but I'll be damned if I won't also live for them. If they know she's in the choir room, by the time you get there — and that's assuming you even make it through downtown — they'll have broken down the door and she'll be dead. You'll do her a bigger favour staying alive to bury her."

"Fuck you!" Bill pushes past Ted. "I have to try. You'd do the same."

Ted doesn't say anything, just goes to sit with Charlotte again.

Paul goes with Bill, and Ted knows he'll never see either of them again.

It takes a couple of hours, but Sam wakes up. They brought him back and cuffed him because none of them could stomach killing him after he was knocked out — not that he seemed to be breathing, but none of them were sure — but now that he's awake, Ted wishes he'd done it, knowing that he wouldn't have, even knowing this. Knowing that Sam would come in, still carrying the chair he'd been cuffed to, not strong enough to break the cuffs, thank god, and singing. He's singing at Charlotte.

Ted steps in front of her. "Fuck off." He looks at Sam, suddenly grateful for liquid courage. "Leave us be." He doesn't get further until he hears a gunshot and is suddenly splattered.

Sam crumbles, and the professor is standing on the other end of the room holding a rifle, now aimed at Ted. He lowers it slowly. "There's no reasoning with those things."

"Ted?" Charlotte takes his hand. "Ted, sweetheart, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Ted replies automatically, but it's a lie, because he suddenly realises that the liquid covering him is Sam's blood, and it's not red. It's bright blue. And his brain feels invaded.

Ted remembers from various fantasy novels that you can resist mind control by thinking about what makes you human, and it's his best option. So he clutches Charlotte's hand tighter, thinking about her, thinking about Emmanuel and Sandra, safe in Clyvesdale with their mother, thinking about Abi. "I think this is a problem," he says, still staring straight ahead. "Professor, do you have a sedative."

"Of course my boy." The professor advances, producing a syringe from seemingly nowhere. "Just try to relax." He empties the syringe into Ted's neck.

"Ted, I—" Charlotte begins, but Ted cuts her off.

"I love you." His eyelids, already heavy, close completely, and he collapses.


	2. Chapter 2

When Ted wakes up again, he's on a cot, Charlotte in a chair next to him. He reaches out, but realises that he's restrained. "What's happening?"

"Ted, you're awake, oh thank god." Charlotte has evidently been crying, and the tears come back now, but Ted suspects that they're tears of relief. "We didn't know — we  _ don't  _ know — if Sam's blood was gonna infect you, we had to restrain you. The professor tried something, he thinks it works, but until we're sure…"

"I understand." Ted opens his hand and angles it towards her as much as he can. "I feel fine." And he does, save for the aftereffects of the sedative.

Charlotte takes his hand. "That's good. Um, the professor said I should get you to sing."

"Right." Ted racks his brain for a song and comes up with a lullaby he used to sing for Emmanuel and sometimes sings for Sandra, too. He stumbles on the words, his brain still addled, but he gets through a verse. "That's one hell of a sedative, huh."

"Yes." Charlotte kisses him. "But you're human. Still."

"How long was I out?" Ted clutches her hand tighter. "And can you let me out now?"

"The professor said to wait for him even if you seemed human…" Charlotte looks at the shackles. "But I don't like seeing you like this."

"It's alright, don't worry." Ted smiles and forces himself to appear calm. "We can wait."

So they do. Hand in hand, in silence. Ted keeps smiling up at Charlotte, trying to appear more calm than he is.

The professor comes in some ten minutes later. "Good god, he's awake! Step away from him Charlotte, we have yet to determine his humanity."

"It's okay professor." Charlotte lets go of his hand and steps away. "He's talking normal and I made him sing and it sounds normal, not like them. He's human."

"Nonetheless, there are tests to run!" The professor picks up a syringe from a table and walks over to where Ted is laying. "This might hurt!"

"You don't say," Ted mutters, but he stays still as the professor takes a blood test.

"Red," he notes. Then he walks over to a machine on a table, fills a small vial with blood, and starts the machine. "Everything looks normal, a little high on adrenaline and norepinephrine, but that's hardly surprising." He turns to look at Ted. "You, my boy, is as human as they come!" He walks over and begins undoing the shackles that hold Ted down.

"Oh Ted!" Charlotte runs over to hug him as soon as he is free. "I thought I lost you too."

"It's alright." Ted reflexively wraps his arms around her, but he needs the hug as much as she does. "I'm alright."

"I'll… Give you two a moment." The professor awkwardly excuses himself.

"I was so worried, I… I didn't know what to do, I—"

"It's okay." Ted runs a hand down her back. "It's okay, I'm okay,  _ we're _ okay." He kisses her. "We'll be okay."

They sit like that, holding each other, for far too long.

Eventually they pull apart, or rather, they're forced apart. The professor comes barrelling into what Ted has now realised is part lab part infirmary, part morgue. Sam's body is there, although he only barely realises as he pulls away from Charlotte, and he only has time to feel sorry for her for sitting in a room for god knows how long with her dead ex-husband and her unconscious boyfriend before the professor starts gesturing wildly with a syringe.

"I've figured it out!" he yells, madness in his eyes. "The aliens! They're not attacking us! They're uniting us in one common purpose! World peace! What thousands of years of human history has not been able to accomplish, these aliens are! And they're doing it by the power of song!"

"Professor, calm down, what are you saying." Ted pushes Charlotte behind him, back onto the cot, and stands up properly. He's no longer woozy from the sedatives, but he is dehydrated, possibly still a little drunk, and definitely hungover. "What's happening?"

"What's happening, Ted? What's happening is that I'm shutting it all down! This place is not a safe house, it is a bomb! We humans are a cancer, and these aliens are eradicating us, and like every good disease, we must go to our death!" The professor keeps gesturing with the syringe as he speaks. "Forgive me, I cannot let you two get in the way!" He advances slowly, holding the syringe up.

Ted is so close to giving up, to just letting what happens happen. But Charlotte is whimpering behind him, and he promised Emmanuel he'd see him soon, and he hasn't seen either of the kids grow up. So instead he ducks, hoping that the professor is not as good with a syringe as he is with a rifle.

He gets lucky. He knows he gets lucky, because the professor's aim is excellent, and so is his coordination. But Ted is ever-so-slightly faster, and he manages to dart out of the way, swiping a second syringe from the professor's jacket pocket. It's filled with some kind of clear liquid, and Ted desperately hopes it's a sedative as he jams it into the professor's neck.

Too late, in theory, as the professor has already hit Charlotte, her eyes rolling back, but at least he collapses too. Ted ignores him for the moment and walks over to Charlotte. "Hey, we're gonna be alright, you're alright." He checks her pulse and breathing; slow, but present and steady. She's alive. He lifts her to a different cot, one that doesn't have restraints on it, and gently sets her down. Then he lifts the professor onto the cot he himself had vacated, and restrains him. Perhaps a little tighter than necessary, but he had attempted to sedate him and sacrifice him to singing aliens, not to mention actually sedating Charlotte, and he'd killed Sam, not that that was high on Ted's list of crimes. He deserved it nonetheless.

He makes sure to push a small screen in front of the cot where Sam is still laying, just so that Charlotte won't see him when she wakes up. Then he goes out into the rest of the building to try to find anyone else.

He finds the girl Paul had brought along. She's laying on the floor, passed out, so he carries her back to the lab/infirmary/morgue and sets her down on the last available cot. Then he sits on the edge of Charlotte's cot, holding her hand, and waits.


	3. Chapter 3

The girl wakes up first. She looks around. "What happened?"

"The professor decided to betray us to the aliens. I was a little quicker, but…" Ted shrugs. "I don't know what we can do now."

"Right." The girl sits up. "I do, but… I don't know if we can pull it off." She hunches over. "How long was I out?"

"Not sure." Ted glances at Charlotte. "She's been out for a couple of hours by now. Looks like it's just the three of us."

"Four," the girl corrects. "The professor is still here."

"He is still here, but he was going to give us up to those zombie fuckers. I don't care about him. I don't care about you, I don't even know your name, but you're human and you're smart, so I'm gonna give it a shot." He shrugs. "Sorry, but… Right now, my top priority is seeing my kids grow up."

She nods. "My name is Emma." She stares a little. "What can we do?"

"I don't know, you said you had a plan." He looks at Charlotte. "My plan is to wait for Charlotte to get up, make a plan to get out of here, call my kids to say goodbye, and then try."

Emma hops off the cot and walks over to the professor. "Do you think Paul and the other guy will be back?" She asks, back still turned.

"Honestly?" Ted looks at her, not that it makes much of a difference since she's looking away. "No. Bill wouldn't want to stay alive without Alice, and I don't blame him, but… I don't think he had a chance. Paul is a smart guy, but the odds are tiny in this town."

"Of course." Emma is still staring at the professor. "The professor is our best bet."

"Yes, but we need to make sure he's not just gonna hand us over. So we wait." Ted pulls his legs up and lays down next to Charlotte, pulling her up to rest on his chest. "And I'm tired and have a hangover, so I'm gonna sleep for a bit. I'm choosing to trust you not to do anything stupid."

"Sure." Emma stands for a few more seconds, then leaves.

Ted takes out his phone and calls Tanya again. "Ted? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, more or less." He sighs. "What is the news saying?"

"Nothing in particular. Mass hysteria. What's happening?" She's pacing, he can hear it.

"I'm not sure, I've been out for a few hours." Ted sighs. "It's insane, I keep thinking I'm dreaming. I'm safe for now, I'll try to get to the mainland as soon as I can."

"Be careful. If you're safe where you are, stay there." She pauses, but Ted knows she has more to say. "Emmanuel has seen the news, he wants to see you. Are you in a place where video is gonna be okay?"

Ted looks around. If he holds the phone right, it'll just be himself and Charlotte in the picture. "Sure. Let me talk to him." He turns on the camera.

"Hi dad." Emmanuel isn't smiling, and concern looks odd on a child. "Are you okay? What's up with Char?"

"She's just having a nap." Ted forces himself to smile, trying to be reassuring. "It's been a long day, I'm gonna try to sleep in a bit as well." Ted glances at the clock in the corner of his screen; later than it feels, but he was knocked out for a few hours. "It's almost your bedtime too, so I just wanted to call and say goodnight."

"Okay." Emmanuel still doesn smile. "Are you coming home?"

"I don't know," Ted admits. "But I will come to you, okay? We'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"I promise." It stings to say, because he really can't, but that's just how it has to be. "Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too dad." Emmanuel smiles, and it's just as forced as Ted's feels.

He hangs up without saying anything else, because nothing prepared him for his son forcing a smile to make him happier. It's not a good moment to go to sleep on, but exhaustion takes him anyway.

Charlotte wakes him up. The professor is awake, and Emma is speaking to him. "Professor, we need your help to survive."

"No!" The professor sounds the exact same when tied to a table and attempting to break his restraints as he did when explaining the apocalypse, and it throws Ted off. "The aliens are the key to our survival as a species! Don't you see, Emma? Our individual lives mean  _ nothing  _ to the survival of our species!"

"No, professor, this will not save humanity. We won't be human anymore." Emma is practically pleading. "We'll be one of them. It's not saving humanity, it's dooming us."

"I refuse! See reason or leave me alone!" The professor turns his head away and stops struggling.

"It's been this for over an hour," Charlotte says softly. "He's made up his mind."

"We'll need to figure something else out, then." Ted sighs. "Let's get some food, I'm starving."

"Good idea." Charlotte hops off the cot and walks over to Emma. "Leave him be for a moment. Come have some food with us."

Emma shakes her off, but she heads out, Ted and Charlotte following.

They eat together mostly in silence. There is a lot that Ted wants to say and ask, but the food comes first. None of them have eaten much that day, and they are all worn out.

"There are proper bedrooms here," Emma says when they're done. "It's almost midnight. We can get some proper sleep and then plan in the morning."

"Sounds good." Ted nods. "Do you know your way around?"

"Yeah." Emma gets up. "Come on." She leads the way down a corridor and pushes open a door. "Here's for you two. I'll be next door."

"Thanks." Ted puts a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for helping us. You don't know us, you don't have to."

Emma shrugs. "I don't wanna be alone here. You two are better than no one." She glances at a window. "I wish Paul would come back."

"Yeah, me too," Charlotte replies. She steps forward and gives Emma a tentative hug. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Emma smiles a little. "I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning." Ted walks into the room Emma had pointed out, Charlotte behind him. It's a guest bedroom — double bed, a dresser, a single lamp — but he doesn't take time to really take it in, just pulls Charlotte into a tight hug. "I need to go," he says.

"What? Why?" She holds him close still. "Where do you need to go?"

"Clyvesdale." Ted doesn't let go either, even though he wants to look at her; holding her is more important. "I need to get back to the kids."

"Can you make it?" Charlotte asks. "You're no use to anyone dead."

"I know. But I have a plan." Ted does pull back now. "We're on the outskirts of town, opposite the bridge. Few miles from the coast, near as I figure, I can make it there in a couple of hours, if that much. There aren't any buildings on that trek, so I should be well away from those singing zombie motherfuckers, and if not, the professor has enough guns to supply an army, so I'll bring a few. Sure, I haven't shot a gun in like ten years, but it's my best option. Find a boat if at all possible, sail to Clyvesdale." He pulls her back into the hug. "You and Emma can come with me, but I will go alone. I have to."

"Let's go tomorrow." Charlotte pulls back to kiss him. "We need to rest."

"Okay." Ted is prepared to go immediately, but he's okay with staying, too. He doesn't admit to himself that it's because he thinks it's the last night he'll have with Charlotte, just kisses her and takes her to bed, and he doesn't let go of her as they fuck and as they sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

He wakes up late. Charlotte is awake, but still curled up against him. He kisses her. "Good morning."

"Good morning." She smiles a little. "How are you?"

"No great," Ted admits. "But rested and I have a plan. It's the best I could be, given the circumstances."

"Yeah." She looks at him for a few seconds. "I don't want you to go. Stay here with us."

"Charlotte, I have to get back to the kids." He puts a hand on her cheek. "I want to stay here with you but… Emmanuel and Sandra come first."

"I know." She smiles sadly and kisses him. "I know, but… If you don't make it… They'll be fine for a few days, until we get a proper plan, until we know more."

"I know." Ted is interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he yells.

Emma opens. "Are you decent?" she asks, eyes covered.

"More or less," Ted replies. It isn't true, but they have the covers pulled up. "Good morning."

"Morning." Emma uncovers her eyes. "I'm gonna go give the professor some food and uhh, make some breakfast I guess… We'll need to have a plan."

"Yeah. I'll come help in a minute." Charlotte sits up, pulling the covers with her.

"Alright, thanks." Emma closes the door as she leaves.

"Let's get food and plan with Emma," Charlotte says, looking at Ted. "I love you."

"Yeah." He kisses her. "I love you too." He gets out of bed. "Let's get ready."

They get ready mostly in silence, and Ted knows he's gonna have to lie.

They discuss plans over breakfast. The professor is still refusing to help, Emma says, and is gonna stay tied to the table.

Ted explains his plan to Emma, about getting to the coast and finding a boat. "It's a long shot, but it's our only shot," he finishes.

"What if you can't find a boat?" Emma asks. "What then? Will you come back here?"

"I'll swim," Ted says calmly. "It's summer, the water's warm enough to stay in for several hours. Yes, I'll get tired and probably pull a muscle, but I'm a decent swimmer, and I can float. Not to mention, as soon as I get halfway round the island, I might be able to find boats out on the water. It can work. It has to."

"Ted, look, I know you're desperate, but we need to plan." Emma drums on the table. "What's so important that you're willing to swim several miles?"

"My kids are in Clyvesdale with their mother." Ted downs his coffee. "And I need to get back to them, and this is the best plan we're ever gonna get. So I might as well go now."

"Ted…" Charlotte takes his hand. "I know you need to get to them, but please just… Stay for a day. We can take time for some more research, more information, more preparation. You know they'll be fine without you for another day, just call them, but… Stay."

"I'm sorry." Ted draws his hand back. "I'm going. You can come with me if you'd like, or you can stay here, but I'm going." He stands up. "I'll try to find a way to get you out, if you stay."

"Ted…" Charlotte looks up at him, but she doesn't reach out. "I love you."

"I love you too." He leans down to kiss her. "I'll see you guys soon, I hope."

He leaves without waiting for a reply, but he can feel both Emma and Charlotte staring at him.

He doesn't need to lie or to hide what he's doing. He finds several weapons of the professor's, and enough ammunition to last a lifetime, and packs however much he thinks he'll need. It's not much; the weapons are a backup, and he hopes he won't have to use them. Emma and Charlotte help him, although he can tell they're both reluctant. But Emma finds two sealed, waterproof bags and tells him to bring his phone to the mainland, and to double bag it, and Charlotte makes him some sandwiches that he can eat while walking and without making too much noise.

He says a quick goodbye to Emma, giving her a hug, but it's not heartfelt. She leaves him alone with Charlotte.

"I don't want you to go," she says, pulling him into a hug. "You can stay."

"I know." Ted kisses her. "I could. But I could never forgive myself if I didn't at least try. I meant what I told Bill; we're no use to those kids dead, but I'm no use to them stuck here, either. I have to try, I have to know I tried."

"You are of some use to them here." Charlotte takes his phone from his pocket and holds it up. "You can call them. Emmanuel is used to not seeing you for a while, he can manage with daily phone calls. You know he can. Sandra isn't old enough to miss you yet, and even if you don't see them for a month, she'll be too young to remember a time you weren't there." She pockets his phone and pulls him into a hug again. "You can stay."

Ted wants to stay, he does, but then he remembers Emmanuel's concern for him, and that strengthens his resolve. "I have to. My odds aren't gonna get any better, I might as well go now." He takes his phone from her pocket. "I'll call you as soon as I can. If I haven't called within a day, call Tanya and tell her what happened. I… I'm sorry, I love you." He kisses her.

"I love you too." She steps away. "Be careful."

"I will." He turns to leave before losing his determination.

It takes almost five hours to get to the coast, mostly through farmland. Ted doesn't see any people, but he keeps a hand on a gun nonetheless. Just in case, he tells himself. Just in case.

He gets lucky; barely 600 feet down the coast from where he comes out is a small rowboat. He runs down to it, pushes off the coast, and jumps in. Once he's a few hundred feet from the coast, he pulls in the oars and lays down. "Fuck," he whispers to himself. "I made it."

He eats the sandwiches too quickly, wishing for water, but happy that he at least has food. Then he takes out his phone, calling Charlotte.

"Ted? Ted, are you okay, what's going on?"

"I'm fine." He smiles a little at the sound of her voice, in spite of himself. "I made it to the coast, I'm on a boat. Row boat, but I'm just drifting right now. But I'm safe."

"Oh thank god." He can hear her breathe a sigh of relief. "We're fine, Emma tries to talk to the professor, but… It doesn't really work. He's made his decision."

"Yeah." Ted looks at the sky. It's getting dark, already. "I should probably get going if I wanna make it to Clyvesdale today, but… I just wanted to say that I'm safe." He takes a deep breath. "I love you. I hope you can make it out."

"Me too." Charlotte sighs. "I… If you have a boat, and if it's safe, maybe you can stay on the water? Maybe Emma and I can come to you?"

"Yeah." Ted sighs. "I'd like to sleep, too, before rowing all the way back, if you two make your way to the coast… I don't have an anchor, but hopefully I won't drift too far."

"Hopefully." He can hear Charlotte moving. "I'll get Emma. Wait for us."

"I will." Ted smiles a little. "I'll get some rest. I love you."

"I love you too." Charlotte hangs up.

Ted calls Tanya next. "Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to say… I found a way out." He sighs. "At least I hope so. I'm on a boat now, I'm gonna wait for Emma and Charlotte and then row us to Clyvesdale. It's gonna take a few hours, but… We'll be there some time tomorrow, I hope."

"Good, okay." Tanya sounds more calm. "Emmanuel has been asking for you, he's worried. What do I tell him?"

"That I'm on my way." Ted looks at the stars. "Is he asleep yet?"

"Yeah." Tanya lets the silence hang. "I miss you."

Ted scoffs. "Amazing." He laughs a little. "I miss the kids. I just wanted to say I was safe, I'll try to get some rest now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." Tanya hangs up.

Ted tucks his phone back in the double bags and under himself, where he'll hear and feel it ring. Then he tries to sleep; the row boat is small and uncomfortable, and it's cold once night falls, but he's exhausted, so he sleeps easy enough.


	5. Chapter 5

He's woken up by a text message. It's from Charlotte; no text, just a location share. She's about three miles away, he's drifted that much, but he grabs the oars and rows, praying she'll be there. That both of them will.

He sees Charlotte and makes for the coast. She scrambles into the boat as soon as he gets there, wrapping her arms around him.

He carefully pulls the oars in and then pulls her into a hug. "Hi," he whispers. "Where's Emma?"

"Gone," Charlotte whispers. "Dead. We need to go now."

"Sure." So Ted lets go of her and grabs the oars, rowing out. Once they're a few hundred feet from the shore, he wraps his arms around her again. "What happened?"

"We were gonna go… Emma didn't wanna leave the professor tied up, so I locked both of them in the infirmary so that she could free him, and then I could let her out. He was… He was stronger than expected." Charlotte takes a deep breath. "All I heard were the gunshots, three of them. Then the professor yelling at me to let him out. I… I left him there." She shudders. "He's gonna starve to death.

"You did all you could do," Ted says, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "If you'd let him out, he would have killed you too. And who knows… Maybe he can get out on his own. You did the right thing, Charlotte." Ted lets her go. "I'm happy you're here. I… I didn't want to survive without you." He grabs the oars. "Let's go. We've got a few hours until full daylight, but we might as well make some progress."

Charlotte nods and curls up at the bottom of the boat with her head in his lap as he rows. Charlotte sleeps as the world slowly lightens around them.

They take turns rowing. It takes several hours, but eventually they land on the shore outside of Clyvesdale and clamber out of the boat, instantly collapsing. Ted takes out his phone and texts Tanya with their location, then pulls Charlotte close. "We made it."

"We made it," she agrees. "Do you think we're the only ones?"

"I don't know." Ted lays down. It's a pebble beach, uncomfortable as all hell, but at least he can stretch out as opposed to on the boat. "Right now I don't care."

"Me either." Charlotte lays next to him. "At least we're alive."

They lay together in silence. Ted can't say how long, but he suspects it's less time than he thinks.

A car comes driving onto the beach. Tanya jumps out the moment it stops. "Ted?" She runs towards them. "Ted, are you okay, what happened?"

"I'm alright." Ted sits up so that he can give Tanya a hug when she runs up. "I'm alright. Where are the kids?"

"They're with Liv, back at my mother's place, they're fine." Tanya pulls back. "Just the two of you?"

Ted nods. "Just the two of us. But… We're here." He takes Charlotte's hand and helps her up. "Hungry and tired and probably in need of a medical checkup, but here."

"You can come with me for now, we can at least get you some food and a bed." Tanya walks back towards the car, Ted and Charlotte following. "We'll figure out the rest."

"Yeah." Ted slides in the backseat next to Charlotte. "Thanks Tanya."

"You're welcome." She starts the car, and they drive in silence.

Tanya gets them inside and to a bedroom without the kids noticing. Liv comes in a few minutes later with some food and water, and they eat mostly in silence.

Ted gets up to look at himself in a mirror once they're done eating. "I look alright," he says, almost surprised. "There isn't even any blood on my shirt."

"I washed it while you were unconscious," Charlotte says, looking at him. "I can't believe that was two days ago."

"Me either." He looks in the mirror for a few more seconds. He definitely looks tired, but he's looked worse with a hangover. "I'm gonna go say hi to the kids."

"Say hi from me." Charlotte smiles. "I think I'm going to sleep, if… If Tanya doesn't mind."

"I'm sure she doesn't." Ted goes over to give her a kiss. "I'll be back in a bit." He leaves the room.

Tanya is waiting for him in the hallway. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," Ted admits. "As alright as I could be, given the circumstances, I think. I need to see the kids."

"Of course." Tanya glances at the door. "You two can stay in there, I'll sleep in Liv's room, or with the kids. Do you have anywhere to go?"

"Not really." Ted sighs. "I don't have any family, and Charlotte's… All on the island, I think. But we'll see what happens, I do kind of wonder if the government has any plans… We'll see."

"Yeah." Tanya gives him a hug. "Go see the kids, Emmanuel has been worried about you." She steps back. "Thanks for surviving."

"Thanks for helping me survive." Ted smiles slightly and heads off.

He barely has time to knock on the door before it flies open and Emmanuel jumps at him. "Dad!"

"Hey kid." Ted picks him up, even though he's far too tired to do so, and holds him close. "It's good to see you." He kisses his hair.

"It's good to see you too." Emmanuel wraps his arms tightly around his neck. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, kid." Ted holds him closer. "I've missed you a lot."

"Are you staying here? Where's Char? What happened?" Emmanuel draws back and is smiling now.

"Charlotte is sleeping, she's very tired. So am I, I just wanted to say hi first." Ted smiles back. "We're gonna stay here for a bit, at least until tomorrow." He sets Emmanuel down and walks over to where Sandra is laying with a few toys. "Hey kid." He reaches a hand out, and she grabs onto a few of his fingers. "It's great seeing you again." He smiles, and she smiles back, something she's learned recently. "You know, I didn't think I'd miss you this much, I barely know you, but it's great seeing you." He leans down and carefully kisses her on the forehead. "Goodnight Sandra."

He turns to Emmanuel and gives him another hug. "I'm gonna get some sleep, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay dad." Emmanuel hugs him tightly. "Promise you won't leave."

"I won't," Ted promises. "I'll stay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Ted leaves and heads to bed, Charlotte already asleep when he gets there. He doesn't know what will happen next, but at least he knows that they're both safe and okay, and that so are his kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a ride


End file.
